- Many diseases are spread through contaminated food and water, and since you are going to eat and drink while you travel, it is wise to be protected.
- In many countries diseases such as hepatitis A and typhoid fever are endemic (always present) and can present a major health threat.
- Some countries will require proof of vaccination against certain diseases before they permit entry.
- Several travel vaccines will also protect against diseases found here in Canada. (e.g. Tetanus, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B)
- As an added benefit, many vaccines offer protection for 10 years to a lifetime, which means safe and worry-free travel for years to come.
FAQs
Yes. Please contact us by email or telephone with a message including your name and phone number, and we will call you back to arrange a suitable time as soon as possible.
Please provide us with a 24 hour cancellation or rescheduling notice, if you are unable to attend your appointment. After 24 hours before the scheduled appointment time, the appointment will be considered confirmed and charges will be apply.
You will be advised on proper hygiene, food and water precautions, mosquito transmitted diseases and prevention, sun protection, high altitude advice, vaccine recommendations for your specific destination, sickness prevention strategies and chronic disease management and advice.
At the end of the consultation, you will be provided with vaccination card/certificate. We will also provide you informational pamphlets and brochures that you can review on your own.
- Full itinerary with the list of destinations
- Duration of stay in each place
- Completed pre-travel questionnaire
- Care card
- Previous vaccination record
- Up-to-date list of all medications ( including vitamins and over the counter medications)
Depending on the complexity of your travel and pre-existing health conditions, and whether you intend to receive immunizations immediately following your assessment or at a later time, this may last anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes.
The cost for consultation varies depending on how many people will be attending. The price for an individual travel consultation is $50. The vaccines are priced separately. You do not need to pay another consultation fee to receive your boosters, just the price of the vaccine. You can check all our prices Here.
Travel medicine is not covered through MSP but some routine shots such as tetanus boosters will be covered.
You will be asked to fill out a form (can also be filled online prior to visit) about your health and the trip you are planning.
Our doctor will review this form with you and talk to you about specific vaccinations and medications recommended or required for your travel.
You will be prescribed any medication you may require.
You will receive your vaccinations. After receiving your shots we require you to stay in the clinic for 15-20 minutes.
- Hepatitis A and B
- Meningitis
- Typhoid Fever
- Tetanus/Diphtheria
- Whopping Cough
- Poliomyelitis
- Rabies
- Shingles
- Japanese Encephalitis
- Yellow Fever
- HPV
- Traveler’s diarrhea
We carry all our vaccines onsite. You will be able to receive the recommended immunization on the same day. An appointment will be booked for you, should you be required to come back for follow up vaccines.
The vaccines that you will need would depend on your previous vaccinations, your past and current medical conditions, your itinerary, length of the trip, accommodation, eating habits and activities planned. The recommendations are individualized and specialized depending upon the above factors. During the consultation, the doctor will go through all that with you and based on those recommend the proper vaccines.
Yes. You may or may not require everything that is advised for the destination. The doctor will go over your vaccination/trip with you and evaluate which of those vaccines you need.
Good question! Yes and no. You may have preexisting immunity to hepatitis A, which is transmitted via infected food or water. The majority of people who grew up in lesser developed countries were exposed to contaminated food and water at an early age, and though they didn’t become ill at the time, did develop lifelong immunity. This can easily be checked with a blood test.
The same goes for hepatitis B – depending upon where you were born, there is a reasonable chance that you have protective antibodies. But for all of the rest – typhoid, meningitis, tetanus, diphtheria and polio, Japanese encephalitis, etc., even if you have been infected in the past, there is no guarantee that you still have immunity. With respect to malaria, those who live in malarious areas do develop some protective immunity, but unfortunately, this advantage is lost after living away from that area for some time.
If you have lived in Canada for more than 6 months, your immunity to infectious diseases in your home country has likely lapsed.
It is also important to immunize your children born here prior to their visit abroad as they will be at higher risk of a variety of illnesses while staying in homes and neighborhoods than if they were staying in resort accommodations.
Required vaccines are mandated to allow entry into a country. Recommended vaccines are those that are directed at minimizing the health risks of potential exposures while traveling abroad.
Yellow Fever and meningitis immunizations are the only ones that are still required by some countries. Old requirements for Smallpox and Cholera have been dropped. Remember that shot requirements have always been to protect their country from the spread of diseases–not to protect you! It is up to you to protect yourself with the right immunization choices.
The duration of protection varies depending upon the vaccine: some vaccines last a lifetime, some last ten years and some only last three months.
As part of the consultation service in our travel clinic, we will review your travel itinerary with you in detail and a step-by-step fashion and will provide you a list of immunizations and medications required and recommended for your safety.
The duration of protection varies depending upon the vaccine: some vaccines last a lifetime, some last ten years and some only last three months.
Most vaccines have a similar side effect profile. Minimal pain at the injection site and possibly a 1-2 degree elevation of body temperature are common. Side effects usually last only a few days, and are usually managed with Tylenol. If any of the vaccines which are recommended for your travel are associated with unusual or severe side effects, these will be discussed in detail before you authorize us to administer them.
Most vaccines have a similar side effect profile. Minimal pain at the injection site and possibly a 1-2 degree elevation of body temperature are common. Side effects usually last only a few days, and are usually managed with Tylenol. If any of the vaccines which are recommended for your travel are associated with unusual or severe side effects, these will be discussed in detail before you authorize us to administer them.
The duration of protection varies depending upon the vaccine: some vaccines last a lifetime, some last ten years and some only last three months.